Sephora Collection Pearl Sheet Mask Review

So I decided to try some sheet masks and I picked up this one from Sephora. My main skincare concern right now is fading all of the dark spots on my cheeks left over from years of acne which is why I picked up the Pearl mask.

Claims from the Packaging: Mask enriched with natural origin white pearl; evens out skintone and helps minimize irregularities, stimulates skin for high luminosity, for skin that is even, fresh and brighter.

This mask retails for $8 at Sephora. It's steep for a one time use mask and I decided if I didn't see some serious results I wouldn't return to them. I mean The Face Shop sells actual Korean sheet masks for much less than this!

There are a whole bunch of other extracts in this mask like rice extract, mushroom extract, Madonna lily extract, broccoli extract, and lastly comes conchiolin powder which is the aforementioned pearl powder.

This mask has an odd, slightly raw smell that wasn't too bothersome as it went away after a while.

Here's the mask after I used it. It's really large! The sides extend to my ears and the part under the mouth goes right underneath my chin. But aside from that my face fit in fine. The mask is really soaked in serum when you take it out of the package.

When I put it on my face I felt a slight stinging sensation but as I continued to wear it, it was replaced with a very cool sensation. The package says I should leave it on for 15 minutes but I leave it on as long as I can. I left this mask on for an hour before bed and when I removed it my face looked more even! My dark marks looked slightly faded! After throwing out the mask, I poured out the remaining serum in the packet and smoothed it over my face and massaged the liquid into my face. The package says you don't have to rinse, so I didn't, I just waited until my face had dried enough for me to go to bed without soaking the pillow. While in bed I noticed my face was a little sticky so I splashed my face with some cold water, patted dry and went back to bed.

The left over serum is so hydrating I didn't feel the need to apply a night time moisturizer. When I woke up the next morning my skin looked great! Hydrated, even, and slightly more luminous then usual! This mask does work, it doesn't offer dramatic results but there is a difference I've noticed in my skin.

I wish I had known about sheet masks earlier because they're remarkably easy to use and give my skin such a nice boost. I love how hydrating his mask is on my skin!

Likes:

1. How much more even my skin became
2. How easy it is to use
3. How hydrating it is
4. Doubles as a night time moisturizer

Dislikes:

1. It stung my face so I'm worried about negative reactions
2. It's really expensive for a one time use mask
3. It smells raw

A-

Maybelline Dream Wonder Liquid Foundation Review

 

 

I bought this foundation as soon as I could find it when it came out. It's under a slightly different name in the states; Dream Wonder Fluid Foundation. It's the Dream Wonder Liquid Touch foundation over here (huge difference, I know).

 



Amazingly enough Maybelline released dark shades for this line of liquid foundation. I wanted to try their Dream Wonder Powder but sadly the darkest shade in the whole line was light enough to match the inside of my palm. Not, cool Maybelline.

 

I usually don't wear Coconut (355) in Maybelline's foundation lines because it tends to be too light but this Coconut (95) was very deep, almost like Mocha from their Fit Me Range. So I decided to give it a whirl. I'm an NW45 just for reference. I've used this foundation all through the winter and it's been such a good match I don't even need to wear it all over my face for it to blend. When summer comes around I'll probably have to find an entirely different foundation though because this is the darkest shade in the line.

Claims from the Maybelline Canada website: Breakthrough texture fuses with skin. A finish so imppecable, yet undetectable. Exclusive dropper. Medium to full coverage, ideal for normal skin

 

This foundation retails for $12.95 at Wal-Mart. 

 

The applicator is a weird looking wand. I use it by dropping some on the back of my hand and then applying with my fingertips. I don't use a brush because this foundation seems like the sort to get sucked up by a brush. Even with my fingers I end up with a very natural but perfected look that I like a lot.

 

The bottle has 20ml in it and while that seems like a little for the price, it's actually a lot. The foundation is very thin so you don't need a lot to get the coverage you're after. 

 

 

This foundation is amazingly thin. It's very runny too which is why the bottle tells you to shake it well to mix up the pigments with the fluid. It's so thin but it spreads so easily on skin it's just weird to see. When you apply it on your skin it doesn't feel like there's enough but it just glides over skin like silk. When I have it on, I forget I've got foundation on.

 

The colour match is actually a really good match for my skin. It doesn't oxidize and become darker either.

 

The foundation dries to a semi-matte finish which I really love. I don't like how deadening matte foundations are and I don't like dewy foundations which grease up my combination skin. The foundation also has medium but buildable coverage which is perfect for me as I want to have as natural a finish as possible. As it wears through the day the foundation becomes dewy and not semi-matte.

 

The foundation blends very easily on the skin.

So there is the drop of foundation on my hand and I blended in the other swatch. As you can see, the foundation is actually a little too dark for my hand which is how I knew it was going to be absolutely perfect for my face. Like some women of colour, my hands are slightly lighter then my face.

I've been using this foundation for several months now and I still haven't run out. I adore this foundation and how easy it is to apply in a rush. I would rebuy it but I found it tended to dry out my skin a little. I'm mourning a little inside because I don't know how I'm going to find another foundation that feels as nicely as this one does with good coverage as well.

Likes:

1. Feels thin and weightless on skin!
2. Blends very easily
3. The bottle lasts
4. Semi-matte finish
5. Great colour-match

Dislikes:

1. Drying
2. No sunscreen!

A-