REVIEW: ELIZAVECCA MILKY PIGGY CARBONATED BUBBLE CLAY MASK

Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask was featured in Memebox Special #16 OMG Box. This is the ultimate one-step facial mask with both pore care and cleansing functions. Not only is it packed with green tea extracts, pomegranate extracts, and charcoal extracts, this Clay Mask contains carbonated water which starts to bubble up the very moment it's applied on your face and deeply penetrates into your pores for getting all the gunk out without having to harden up like average clay masks.

How to use:

Spread the Bubble Clay Mask over un-cleansed, un-wet face. Let it be for about 5 minutes until it starts to create bubbles, then massage onto your face with wet hands for deep cleansing effects. Rinse off with warm water.

Personal Experience:

Normally clay masks don't come with a spatula, so at first I was wondering why they had included one, but when I started using it, I realised that the spatula was really useful! The texture of the clay mask is really thick and gooey, but when I applied the mask onto my face, it was really easy to spread. I applied this onto a dry and unwashed face. I didn't know how to much to apply, so when I wanted to apply more to the edges of my lips, I was too late, as the mask had already started creating bubbles on my face (it bubbles really quickly after application)! The bubbly feeling on my face was pretty cool! By a few minutes, my face was covered in a thick layer of bubbles/foam, and my nose was completely covered, so I had to blow through my nostrils to clear some of the foam! After 5 minutes, I wet my hands and started massaging my face - the foam fell off, and it was like massaging a normal clay mask again. It was quite easy to wash off with water too, and after washing it off, I saw that my face was softer, and my pores were cleaner! Things did get a little messy with the increasing bubbles, but it was overall a good mask, and it didn't dry my face either!

Rating: 8/10

For more information on Memebox, please visit their website:

http://us.memebox.com/user/geniesfavproducts

REVIEW: MASKS FROM ILLI

"There are no ugly women in the world, just lazy ones."

This saying is SO true...if you want to be pretty, you can't be lazy!

I'm sure most of you have realised that I'm a HUGE fan of masks, whether it be wash-off masks, face sheet masks, or sleeping masks!

I personally prefer using paper masks which are made of cotton or cotton blend as opposed to gel masks - I dislike the slimy feeling of the mask when spreading it onto my face with my bare hands, and also because they always seem to slide down my face! I also prefer essence masks over wash-off masks, as it's more convenient, and I like that the essence absorbs into my skin instead of me having to wash the mask off afterwards.

I'm usually quite lazy during the winter when it comes to masks, as it feels really cold putting a mask onto my face and leaving it there for so long, but since it's summer now, it's MASK TIME AGAIN!!! For the past month, I have been using masks every night or every second night, and my face is great now (many compliments from my hubby and from friends)!!

I have quite a large collection of masks - some cheap ones and some more expensive ones. I use the more expensive ones usually after I've completed a home facial, and I use the cheaper ones on the other days.

What I look for in a sheet mask:

- The type of material the mask is made out of: paper, cotton, gel

- How much essence is on the mask

- The shape of the mask, whether it covers my face properly

- Whether it will leave a sticky feeling on my face after removing the mask

- How effective the mask is

In this post, I will be reviewing the masks from illi

I first came across this brand when I received the illi Green Tea Brightening Mask from my Memebox Global #11, and I instantly fell in love!!! I then went to buy the other masks from the same brand to see if they were all as great!!!

1) illi Green Tea Brightening Mask

Material: Thick, silky cotton blend, soaked completely in essence
Scent: A pleasant flowery scent
Shape: It's a 2-part mask - the top part covers the forehead, eyes, and nose; the bottom part covers the mouth and chin. The mask covered my face completely, even the sides of my nose (it's really hard to find sheet masks that can cover every bit of my face so well)!!!
Effectiveness: After removing the mask, I gently massaged the remaining essence into my skin, and it did absorb quite quickly, so it didn't leave much of a sticky feeling on my face. My face felt hydrated, pores tightened, and I had a smoother complexion, but as for its brightening effects, I'm not so sure.
Price: HK$22 per mask (around US$3 per mask)
Rating: 9/10 (it would be 10/10, but it's always out of stock and it's so hard to get hold of)!!

2) illi Ginseng Firming Mask

Material: Thin gel-type mask
Scent: Flowery perfume scent
Shape: It's a 2-part mask - the top part covers the forehead, eyes and nose; the bottom part covers the mouth and chin. The mask does not cover my nose entirely, and it needed a lot of adjusting for it to be able to cover my face properly. Again, I don't really like gel-type masks, because of the slimy feeling when putting the mask onto my face!
Effectiveness: After removing the mask, all the essence had completely absorbed into my skin, but it did leave a slightly sticky feeling on my face. I realised that my pores look slightly smaller, and my skin feels slightly firmer, but my face does feel slightly dry too.
Price: HK$22 per mask (around US$3 per mask)
Rating: 7/10

3) illi Lotus Moisture Mask

Material: Cotton blend mask, mask not soaking wet in essence

Scent: A super lotus flower scent!!!

Shape: One piece mask with no slits on the edges, shape was okay (the holes for the eyes and mouth weren't too big) but it didn't cover the sides of my nose very well!
Effectiveness: The essence absorbed into my face very quickly, and hardly left a sticky feeling, but there wasn't any essence left for me to massage into my face afterwards! It did leave my skin feeling hydrated and moisturised though.

Price: HK$15 per mask (around US$2 per mask)

Rating: 8/10

4) illi Mugwort Calming Mask

Material: Cotton blend mask, mask not soaking wet in essence

Scent: Cannot define the scent, but it's a plant, and the scent made me want to sneeze!

Shape: One piece mask with no slits on the edges, shape was okay (the holes for the eyes and mouth weren't too big) but it didn't cover the sides of my nose very wellEffectiveness: At first, it only made a tingling sensation on my face, but after a while, it made my face feel so itchy that I had to remove the mask within 10 minutes!! I instantly went to wash off the essence with water, then applied a calendula toner to calm my face - this has NEVER happened to me before!!! This was supposed to be a calming mask, but it did everything but calm my face!!!

Price: HK$12 per mask (around US$1.60 per mask)

Rating: 1/10

illi also has a Camellia Oil Intensive Nourishing Mask (retails at HK$12 per mask) which I have yet to try, but it is in the same series as the Lotus Moisture Mask and the Mugwort Calming Mask, so I don't have high hopes for it.

OVERALL VIEW:

I think out of all the masks from illi, I think I would only repurchase the Green Tea Brightening Mask; I thought all the other masks would come in the same material, texture, and shape as the Brightening Mask, but unfortunately, that was not the case. The Ginseng Total Ageing Care Mask was the same price as the Brightening Mask, so I thought they would be of a similar effect, but if I had known that it was a gel-type mask, I would not have purchased it at all! The other masks, although much cheaper, were made of a cheaper material, the shape of the mask did not cover the sides of the nose, and they were not as effective - for the same type of mask, I could've paid for a much lower price!

I have also tried some other products from illi that I love, but I will be talking about them later in my other posts!!

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!!!

Memebox Skincare Night

So tonight, I decided to try/use some of the products inside my Memeboxes...

1) Grinif Nature Oatmeal Scrub Bar (Memebox Special #4 Whole Grain)

I seldom use soap bars, whether for my face or my body, mainly because they are not as convenient as liquid soap, but I gave this a try anyway because it's 100% natural.

It lathered fairly easily, and the scent was not as strong as I anticipated. It did leave my skin feeling slightly dry afterwards, but I did notice that my pores did appear to be slightly smaller! I probably won't repurchase, but I will try to finish the whole bar!

2) Skinmiso Pore Beauty Nose pack (Superbox #11 Before Special Day)

There's no need to talk about the Skinmiso Pore Beauty Nose Pack, because I've already reviewed it here, and it's named as one of our holy grail products!!!

3) Herbclinic Rice Bran Powder (Memebox Special #4 Whole Grain)

Everyone knows I love masks, but I mainly use face sheet masks or sleeping masks (because of the conveniency), but I decided to give this a try today, also because it's 100% natural!

How to use:

Mix up 1 spoonful of the rice bran powder with 1 spoonful of oatmeal, black bean, or brown rice. Add an adequate amount of milk until it is slightly thickened. Apply onto your face and leave for 15-20 minutes before washing it off.

I didn't have any milk at home, so I used New Zealand's Manuka Honey instead, however after mixing it, I realised that it was slightly too thick, so I added in a teeny weeny bit of Jurlique's rosewater to water it up a bit. I also couldn't find any oatmeal at home except for the "Oats for Rice", so I soaked the "Oats for Rice" in hot water for a few minutes before draining it and using it for my mask.

I didn't have a brush at home, so I used my hands to put the mask over my face. The oats started falling off my face, and the honey started dripping - everything became so messy! I also didn't like how everything became so sticky on my hands and legs (it dripped onto my legs and clothes too). I'm so glad I was applying it while I was in the toilet, otherwise I would be attracting cockroaches and ants into my room! To avoid the honey and oats dripping everywhere, I had to put toilet paper all over my face...

OMG I FEEL SO BRAVE PUTTING THIS PHOTO UP!!!

After looking like an Egyptian Mummy for 15 minutes (I couldn't stand it any longer, and I'm so glad hubby wasn't home to see this!), I wiped the oats off my face with tissue, and I washed off the mask with warm water using my cleansing sponge. I did realise my face to feel a lot smoother, but it was definitely a very messy experience - I think that's why they suggested using milk (although it would still be quite messy with oatmeal/black beans/brown rice dropping off)! If I were to use it again, I'd need a lot of time and patience, because unlike face sheet masks, I can't walk around or do anything else without the mask dripping off my face!

4) Whamisa Organic Flowers Toner Original (purchased from Memeshop)

I purchased this toner because again, it's natural! It is a spray-on toner, and it absorbs very quickly into the skin! I love the smell, and it's very hydrating!

5) W.HOLIC Glutathione Whitening Essence (Superbox #23 Summer Meeting)

Although it's named as an essence on the bottle, it is actually more of a serum, and that's how I've been using it as. I've been using this for a few days now, but I haven't seen any obvious whitening results yet. It doesn't absorb instantly, so it does leave a slight sticky feeling on my face afterwards, but I will continue to use up the whole bottle.

6) WondeRuci Light Light Eye Balm (purchased from Memeshop)

This has a very interesting texture - it feels dry and almost crumbly, but once you warm it up with your fingers, it becomes very silky and smooth, and it's very easy to apply. It didn't seem to do much by itself, but when I use it with my Purederm Botanical Choice Pure Solution Eye Cream, I have realised that my dark circles have instantly become lighter when I wake up in the morning! I only use this at night, as it doesn't blend in too well with some of my skincare products for the daytime. It is faintly scented, and it doesn't irritate my skin!

7) Purederm Botanical Choice Pure Solution Eye Cream (Memebox Global #11)

This eye cream doesn't do much by itself, but when used with my WondeRuci Light Light Eye Balm, I have noticed that my dark circles have significantly become lighter when I wake up in the morning - it's amazing because I've tried so many other eye creams, and nothing does the trick! The other good thing about this eye cream is that it comes in a huge 30ml tube, and it really does last a long time!!!

8) SNP Pore Contraction Whitening Gel Cream (Superbox #13 Pore Care)

This is in the form of a gel cream, and it absorbs very quickly into the skin! There is a citrus scent, but it's very relaxing and soothing! I have realised that it helps to soothe irritated skin, as well as tighten pores! It's also very hydrating and easy to use - perfect for the summer months!

In case you're interested, other than the aforementioned products, I also used these in my skincare regime today:

UGB Peeling Gel - highly raved, very gentle, leaves skin soft

Kiehl's Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Masque - quite expensive but it really works!

su:m37 Secret Programming Essence - smells fruity, says to tighten pores

Lumene Rejuvenating Neck and Décolleté Cream - neck cream, contains natural ingredients, absorbs quickly

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!!!