These are confusing times we are living in and we could all use a dose of self-care, whether you’re a mum who now has to look after 2 young kids 24/7 or an extrovert struggling with self-isolation. Face masks let you pamper your skin and soak in some Zen vibes at the end of a long day… or after lunch because hey, who’s checking at this point?
We tasked 8 women with different skin types and skin concerns to review masks that they had lying in their own beauty cabinets. From dullness to acne and clogged pores, we tried sheet, clay, cream and gel face masks that addressed them all. Read on to find out which masks you should be adding to your own skincare and self-care routine too.
“I’m generally a lazy person, so I don’t mask very often. But I do so once in a while, when I feel that my skin is in terrible condition and it needs emergency help. I have combination skin and my skin tone is generally on the duller side, with monthly pimple outbreaks during PMS.
My skin has had more time to breathe during the CB period, which means lesser pimple outbreaks! On the other hand, my dark eye circles are getting worse because I’ve been sleeping later every day oops.
I chose the Innisfree Black Green Tea Mask EX because it has been lying around for a while but I’ve never tried it. It’s said to deliver strong antioxidant effects for a clear complexion so I’m hoping it gives me a radiant glow.”
“The texture is quite gel-like, and it reminded me of honey. I applied it on a clean face, and it was really smooth to apply. The face mask contains actual tea leaves, which gave off a pleasantly sweet tea fragrance. It stuck on my face nicely without flowing down to my neck. It felt light on my skin, together with a slight cooling sensation.”
“The instructions said to leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes. I decided to go for 15 minutes, hoping for maximum results. The mask stayed on my face nicely while I did the usual things like lying down and using my phone, walking around the house, etc.”
“I gently massaged the mask off with lukewarm water. It was very easy to remove without leaving a sticky feeling. My face felt really smooth and hydrated, and I noticed that it looked slightly more radiant.”
“I’m quite satisfied with the results of this face mask. I love that it contains actual tea leaves and smells very calming. I would recommend it to those who have dull skin and are looking for a healthy glow.”
You can buy Innisfree’s Black Green Tea Mask EX for $28.75 from Lazada.
“The most important thing I look for in a mask is hydration, so I usually either go for hydrating sheet masks or overnight masks since they seem to provide more moisture. They are usually Korean and Japanese masks because I feel that the formulation is more suited towards Asians.
I use face masks quite regularly, at least once or twice a week, but I could do with using them more often, as they do help my skin feel a lot better the next morning. I have both dry and sensitive skin, so I have a lot of concerns regarding dryness on my T-zone.
My skin during this WFH period has not been the best. It is more bumpy and clogged, and definitely needs extra TLC. I’ve heard great things about Mediheal’s masks and wanted to start by trying this tea tree one because tea tree helps soothe skin irritation and refreshes the skin overall. I hope that after using the mask, the blemishes will calm down a bit so my skin can feel more fresh and dewy.”
“I could feel the mask was chock-full of essence once I took it out of its packaging. The mask is a silky cellulose sheet mask. Once I put it on, it did its best to fit my face shape and contours, which some other sheet masks do not do as well. The mask felt light and cooling, with a slight tea tree oil scent that I found refreshing.”
“I put on the mask right after lunch to refresh myself. It stayed in place while I was working, which was a good sign. I almost forgot I had the mask on until it was time to take it off after 20 minutes as instructed.”
“There was a lot of essence left on my face, which I pat in to make sure my skin absorbed all the moisture and goodness. When I looked in the mirror, my face looked much more hydrated, and some of the redness and bumps on my face had also calmed down. Overall, I looked much more refreshed than before.”
“The mask did what it claimed it would, which is to heal and soothe the skin. This mask is quite versatile and can be used for both oily and dry skin since it serves to nourish all skin types. But perhaps people with ultra sensitive skin should be careful as I’ve heard that some people can be sensitive to tea tree oil.”
You can buy Mediheal’s Teatree Care Solution Essential Mask EX for $3.90 from Watsons.
“I only use face masks once in a while, when I feel like pampering myself. I have normal skin and my T-zone tends to be a bit oilier. There can be a lot of bumps on my face under the skin, which are hard to get rid of and cause redness. After a bad breakout, I also get occasional pigmentation issues.
CB has made me lazy and I’ve been skipping steps in my night-time skincare routine such as moisturiser etc. Since my skin is currently lacking moisture, and feeling a bit dry and not firm, I decided to use Fresh’s Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask to combat these issues.”
“I applied the mask as the last step of my skincare routine at night in place of moisturiser. It’s a cream formula with a pretty thick consistency that is super easy to apply, you just have to spread it around your face generously.
I love the black tea scent, it smelled like a spa. The finish was a bit tacky and it remained that way for a while because it is an overnight mask.”
“I let the mask sit for a while when using my phone then went to sleep. I’ve used this mask before and it does transfer onto my pillow but I really DGAF.”
“Visually, there wasn’t much of a visible difference but my skin felt soft, supple and firm in the morning.”
“If you’re feeling rich and want to treat yourself to a nice-smelling and moisturising + firming mask, you can pamper yourself with this mask every month or 2 weeks.”
You can buy Fresh’s Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask for $144 (100ml) from Sephora.
“I use face masks about once or twice a week and usually go for regular moisturising sheet masks from The Face Shop just because they fit well on my face and do the job. I have combination and acne-prone skin, so I’m very concerned about a new pimple emerging every other day.
My skin has had its ups and downs this CB period, so I do have a few pimples right now. This mask was a sample from Etude House that I got after purchasing other products. I’ve tried it a few times, and I’m expecting the pimples on my face to tone down on the redness and maybe even reduce in size.”
“The face mask has a cream-like texture and was easy to spread across my face. I applied the mask after washing my face and it was a very thin layer that was almost negligible.”
“I was supposed to leave the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes, so I continued drinking my morning coffee and did some work on the computer and the mask didn’t get in the way at all. I was perspiring a little and that prevented the mask from drying quickly on my skin, which is what I presume was the desired outcome.”
“A quick wash with lukewarm water was all it took for the mask to be gone. My skin felt plump and moisturised after, and my pimples seemed to calm down a little.”
“The mask description mentions that it soothes problem areas, which I think it did pretty well. This mask seems to work decently for me, and I’m a sucker for the citrusy scent, so I will probably get the full-sized version when I’ve finished this one. If you have acne-related issues, you should try it out too.”
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“I have normal skin on most days and sensitive skin on sad days, so I usually go for hydrating sheet masks. Before working from home became a thing, I used a mask every Sunday to make myself feel better about the impending Monday blues. I have a stash from Innisfree and some from Dr.Jart+, which I reserve for sensitive skin days.
I don’t know if you felt the same, but the weather was torturously hot in mid-April. That resulted in me hibernating in an air-conditioned room every night, which really took a toll on my skin. The inner part of my cheeks became dry and it was even flaky on the day I did this trial. So I went for the Dr.Jart+ Cicapair Calming Mask that is infused with centalla—an ingredient that’s said to help repair the skin’s moisture barrier. ”
“If you don’t already do this, I highly recommend storing your sheet masks in the fridge because it makes the process extra shiok. The translucent mask was coated in a light green essence and came with a plastic backing to make it easier to apply. It fit on my face well and was easy to smooth out.
There was a subtle clinical smell when I first opened the packaging, but it disappeared soon after. The mask felt cooling and didn’t irritate the dry patches on my cheeks at all.”
“The packaging says to leave the mask on for 10 to 20 minutes, though I don’t usually keep track. I just remove it when it feels dry or after my Netflix show ends, which is what I did this time around too.”
“Thirty-five minutes in, the middle part felt completely dry, but the sides were damp. I removed the mask and wiped the remaining essence on my neck. I didn’t expect the mask to be a miracle worker, so the slight improvement it gave to my skin was much welcomed.”
“I checked my skin at night, and realised some flaky bits were back again, though to a much lesser scale. I would use it again on days my skin needs some repairing, and would recommend it to those with dry skin.”
You can buy Dr Jart+’s Cicapair Calming Mask for $20 from Hush.
“I’m not a regular mask user because I find them a hassle. For sheet masks, the nose and upper lip areas tend to dry first and they get irritating; for other masks, I have to get out of bed to wash them off. I have combination skin, normal on most areas, but oily on the T-zone. I’ve got some pigmentation scars left over from my teenage years and nose pores that love trapping gunk. And when my period is coming around, I’ll get a handful more pimples.
My skin has been annoyingly uncooperative while WFH, I’ve somehow gotten more pimples and bumps from not leaving the house. I chose to review the Peter Thomas Roth mask because I’ve kept it for quite a while and what better time to try it than now?”
“At first glance, it looks like clay. But as I dipped my finger in, I realised the texture is closer to sand—when packed together it’s firm, when picked up, it seems dust-like. This actually made it hard to apply on dry skin as dictated, because it kept breaking apart and falling off as I tried to even it out over the surface of my skin.”
“The mask is supposed to be on for a maximum of 3 minutes, which I thought was crazy fast, because after that I was supposed to wet my fingers and rub it to activate the “heat”. When I got to that point, there was a warm and tingling sensation that I wasn’t particular fond of—why would you want that on your face?”
“It’s a simple wash-off face mask and was pretty easy to remove completely, considering some of it was already coming off from me activating the heat. It was a relief to be free of the activated heat, though I would say that my skin looked slightly brighter and felt slightly smoother as well.”
“As much as it was an interesting mask experience, I wouldn’t use it again because the application was just a little too messy for my liking (I was picking up little clumps of the mask off myself and the table). For those who don’t mind a mess and have dull skin, this might be worth a try because I did feel like my skin gained a little brightness.”
You can buy Peter Thomas Roth’s Mineral-Rich Atomic Heat Mask for $110 from Sephora.
“Due to eczema, my skin is very sensitive and I often get random rash breakouts, so I try not to put too many products on it regularly. That’s why I don’t use masks often at all. Generally, my skin tends to be a bit textured, especially on the forehead area. It has some redness and can be a bit rough sometimes.
This CB period has been great for my skin because I don’t put makeup every day now, so it has some breathing and healing time. My skincare routine has stayed the same: I put toner and moisturiser twice a day.
This was the only mask I could find at home and it looked promising, so I decided to give it a shot. Hopefully, it’ll make my skin feel refreshed, and leave it looking bright and smooth after.”
“There’s a coating of a cream-like substance on the face mask but not so much that it dripped everywhere. I really like that because it was easy to put on and didn’t make a mess. When applied, it had a cooling sensation on the skin. It also smelt really clean and nice.”
“The mask felt so light that I almost forgot I had it on while watching Netflix. My face is pretty smol, so a lot of sheet masks don’t fit well and there’s usually a lot of allowance. This one was no different, but it didn’t keep slipping off. The cooling sensation had disappeared but it didn’t feel yucky at all.”
“It was really easy to remove in one motion. My skin felt refreshed and soothed, and some of the redness had disappeared. It also looked healthier, brighter and smoother.”
“All in all, using this mask was a very fuss-free process, so it’s great for people who don’t know much about skin stuff like me.”
You can buy Ariul’s 7 Days Aloe Mask for ~S$3.50 from Peach and Lily.
“My main skin concerns are dullness, blemishes and clogged/large pores, so I look for face masks that can address those issues. My typical mask routine consists of me washing my face at night, applying toner, slapping on a sheet mask, watching Netflix, then removing the mask after the stipulated time (ideally) without moving from my bed.
For the sake of research, however, I decided to skip my usual sheet mask since a few other reviewers would be trying them. Luckily, my sister is a beauty junkie, so I used a mask from her stash instead. I must be the only person left on this planet who hasn’t tried anything from The Ordinary so I was excited to try its Salicylic Acid 2% Masque. It claims to be ‘formulated for blemish-prone skin’, and is meant to address dullness and uneven texture. Here’s to bright, even skin and less blemishes in 10 minutes!”
“Since we’re all working from home at the moment, the usual rules have gone out the window, and I decided to apply my mask right after washing my face in the morning.
While spreading it evenly across my face, I could feel a sharp sensation on more sensitive parts of my skin, a clear indication of the salicylic acid. Unlike other clay masks I’ve tried, it was not too thick and gloopy. It was easy to spread across my face, and has a slightly gritty texture for an exfoliating effect.”
“Within a few minutes, I could feel the mask drying up and a slight “tightening” sensation, but that’s almost a given for charcoal masks. Five minutes later, I could still feel the acid doing its thing. Not that it was painful or anything, just in a “Hey, I’m still here!’ kinda way.”
“I’m often guilty of leaving face masks on for longer than the stipulated time. Because of the acid in this mask though, I washed it off after 10 minutes as instructed. Some clay masks can really get into the nooks and crannies, like the corners of your nose, but removing this was a smooth and fuss-free process.
My skin felt clean, soft and refreshed, my pores felt unclogged, and my complexion looked brighter too.”
“The mask comes with a sunburn alert because it contains a beta hydroxy acid (BHA), and you’re supposed to use sunscreen and limit sun exposure while using the product and for a week after. That means its effects are pretty long-lasting. I’m looking forward to seeing if it will lessen the amount of blemishes and keep my skin less oily. I’ll definitely be buying one for myself since my sister won’t be too thrilled if I keep using hers!”
You can buy The Ordinary’s Salicylic Acid 2% Masque for $19.30 from Hush.
CB period or not, we all deserve some self-care. If you’re suffering from any of the same skin woes as our reviewers, then add the face masks that address your issues to your skincare stash.
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