This year I plan to be more diligent with face masks. Being in the same time zone and not travelling as much this year (so I’m less exhausted all the time), means I can be more consistent with using them when I need.
One of the first ones I bought and tried back in Seoul last year was the Green Tea Real Nature Mask from The Face Shop. The Face Shop is an affordable road shop brand (aka high street store) that focus on using natural ingredients in their products. These were on sale for 50% off and I got a pack of 20 for 10,000 won which is about £5.60/$8.60. That’s about 25p each per sheet. Insanely cheap.
Purpose:
This claims to be a hydrating and energizing mask sheet containing green tea extract to fill dry skin with refreshing and hydrating moisture.
Green tea as we know is a great antioxidant, provides moisture and nourishment, and soothes the skin from irritation and inflammation.
Looking at the ingredients, the green tea leaf extract is high up the list which means a fair amount of it is included in the essence. There is also good mix of emollients that keep the skin moist and supple including sodium hyaluronate.
Application:
After washing face and applying toner, put this on and leave it on for 10-12 minutes, then remove and tap skin lightly to absorb the remaining essence into the skin.
Directions & Ingredients
Good amount of essence straight out the pack
Extra watery essence at bottom of the packet
Thoughts:
This mask has a nice refreshing leafy scent with a hint of green tea. You can’t smell it much when you apply it and it adheres to my face well that I can wear it sitting up and moving about.
The mask is thin and soft but the downside is it isn’t the best fit and is slightly too wide for my face. The nose part hangs over my nose and the eye holes are slightly bigger than I’m used to. It does hang over my chin but the whole mask doesn’t lie properly flat so there are a few air bubbles.
The mask is drenched in essence that is very watery and light in consistency, but cloudier looking than water. I liked that while the mask wasn’t drenched in so much essence as to make a runny mess when applying, there was at least a spoonful of it at the bottom of the packet which I used on my arms and legs.
I don’t usually follow the recommended times and tend to wear it from anywhere between 15-30 minutes (to get the most benefits out of the sheet mask), depending on how quickly it dries up. I took this off after 25 minutes when it was starting to feel less moist and wiped the rest of it over my neck area. There was enough essence left on my face to rub and then pat in. It absorbs fairly quickly, feels refreshing and doesn’t leave a sticky residue.
Upon removing, my skin did look immediately fresh and hydrated overall although you could still see my red thread veins peeking through. Since my t-zone has been slightly oily these past few days I went to bed without applying anything else. In the morning, my face still felt hydrated though my t-zone was oily. Otherwise I didn’t notice a significant difference to my skin condition.
Overall it’s a good standard sheet mask that is gentle and soothing, does provide a good amount of moisture and hydration for dry skin, but I have since seen more visible and longer-lasting results with other sheet masks.
