REVIEW: GINSENG HEALTH PATCH (KOREA)

So I've been really lazy with blogging recently, but I thought this deserved its own post here, because it really works!

Some history about me...

I injured my back from ice skating over 10 years ago, and I guess it never recovered properly. Back then, I couldn't even sit properly at school unless I used a cushion! I saw both Western and Chinese medical practitioners, and I thought I recovered, as I didn't feel anymore pain. The pain suddenly hit me a few years later when I was in New Zealand, and it was so painful that I couldn't even walk properly.

 I've sought all kinds of medical help, including acupuncture, Chinese massage, acupressure, Chinese medicine, physio, yoga, and other pain relief patches (Tiger Balm's warm plaster does a good job to relieve pain temporarily), but nothing had really done any long-term change. Having constant back pains has disrupted my sleep, and it's one of the main reasons why I joined yoga, but even so, yoga only gives me temporary relief.

I suddenly came across this product whilst looking for masks for MaskGenie, and I decided to try it. There were a few reviews on this product, all saying how good it was.

The product that I'm going to review today, is the
Ginseng Health Patch from Korea.

The idea of the patch is it stick it onto a part of the body which feels painful or tired. I forgot to mention in my review on Instagram that the patch feels slightly warm after application.

Each patch is like a thin sticky piece of paper that smells strongly of ginseng, and has many small black dots in the patch. Each patch is 9.5cm x 13cm in size, which is not particularly large, but I managed to stick it on the most painful part, and it still worked for me. It is recommended to use the patch each night for three days consecutively, even if your body doesn't feel painful or tired anymore.

On the packaging, it shows the places (acupressure points) where you can stick the patch.

The patch is very thin, but it adheres to the skin very well, and the corners do not roll up. It's not obvious under clothing unlike other pain relief gel patches. After taking my shower at night, I waited for 30 minutes before sticking on the patch. There is a Chinese belief that you need to let the "wetness" (濕氣) inside the body out first, otherwise the "wetness" will just build up, and cause even more discomforts.

I couldn't understand any of the instructions on the packaging (and there's not much information online), so I assumed that I had to peel it off in the morning (after 8-10 hours) like any other pain relief patches, but I just realised it does say "24 hours" on the packaging, so perhaps you're supposed to leave it on all day. When I peeled it off, a little of the plastic had stuck onto my back, and I had to rub it off.

After the first night, I felt that my back wasn't as painful anymore already, but I continued to use it for two more nights to get optimum results! My skin isn't super sensitive, so after the first night, my back didn't feel itchy. By the third day, I was really amazed to see that my back was not painful at all anymore, and I've never felt so good before! My skin, however, did start to feel slightly itchy after using the third patch. It's been one week since using the patch, and my back still feels perfectly fine!

I did, however, try the patches on my thighs which had muscle aches (from an intense yoga session), but the patch didn't seem to be effective at all.

I'm super satisfied with the results, and I hope they're not temporary, but even so, I'm a happy girl again, and I can finally get some good night's rest!

Rating: 9.5/10

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!

MaskGenie Giveaway!!!

UPDATE: Winners have been announced on the Rafflecopter app!
Congrats to Judy Menacker and Pegi Hoffman!!!

Thank you for everyone's support in MaskGenie for the past few months!!

To thank everyone, we have decided to do a Giveaway, where we are giving away TWO PRIZES to TWO WINNERS!!!

Annie's Way has kindly sponsored us with two Annie's Way Trial Sets to give away as part of our prizes, of which, both come in beautiful Annie's Way pouches. We will also add in an assortment of Asian masks to give to each of the winners.

Each Annie's Way Trial Set includes:
1 x Willowherb Herb Balancing Jelly Spray 12ml
1 x Gigawhite Whitening Jelly Spray 12ml
1 x Calendula Softening Jelly Spray 12ml
1 x Lavender Relaxing Jelly Mask 35ml
1 x Annie's Way pouch

HOW TO ENTER:

• Enter via Rafflecopter.
• All entries will be verified and anyone who has multiple accounts will be disqualified!
• Qualified entries will then be randomly drawn.
• I will notify the winner within 24 hours after the contest ends. The winner will then have 36 hours from then to contact me with the following information: their full name and mailing address.
  If the winner does not contact me within 36 hours, another winner will be drawn, and the original entry will be null and void.

Starting Date: 12am on Saturday 11th April, 2015

Ending Date: 12am on Saturday 18th April, 2015

(HKT +8H GMT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OTHER INFORMATION:

By entering this Giveaway, you are agreeing to the following terms:

• The winner is responsible for verifying the products and their contents and to determine the suitability of those products for their own needs. geniesfavproducts is not responsible for the actual products and ingredients inside the products.
• This Giveaway is only open internationally.
• The winner is responsible for any custom and/or import duties in their country. geniesfavproducts and MaskGenie are not responsible for those fees.
• You must be 18 years of age or above, or must have the express permission of a parent or legal guardian to enter and receive the prize.

I joined the Blog Hop Giveaway held by The Glitter Chic. To see the other giveaways, please click on the button below:

For more information on MaskGenie, please visit our website:
http://www.skinilove.com

Good Luck!!!

REVIEW: BEYOND HIPPO PATCH

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 20: BEYOND The God of the Patches - Bye Bye to Excess Fats Firming Patch (hippo) (Korea)

This mask reminds me of those body painkiller patches, but this is actually for slimming purposes. The patch is a combination of a cotton sheet and a hydrogel sheet, and it's soaked completely in essence. Surprisingly, despite how wet it was, I was still able to stick it onto my tummy with the plaster it came with (and it didn't soak through the plaster either). It was quite late at night when I was going to put it on, and hubby asked me what I was doing. I told him I was going to do a mask, and he was shocked, because all he wanted to do was sleep. I told him it's an overnight mask, and that I would leave it on while I sleep. Guess what he said? He said "Oh, then I'm going to sleeping with a hippo tonight?!" Boo! I ignored him, and I put it on my tummy, and took it off 8 hours later. During the night, I felt my tummy was slightly itchy, but I continued to leave it on. I also woke up to go to the toilet once during the night (not sure if it's related because I seldom need the toilet during bedtime), but I was also desperate for the toilet when I woke up the next day. After I removed the patch, my tummy felt firmer and flatter, but results were only temporary. Will need to try it again to see if it's really effective, and whether the need for the toilet is related (perhaps it's losing water retention?).

Rating: 9/10

REVIEW: DD'ELL GOLD KIWI MASK

MaskGenie Mask Challenge Mask 19: DD'ell Gold Kiwi Mask (Korea)

This mask really smells like putting on a golden kiwi - so delicious! It comes with slits for the eyes, but I like to fold them down (I should've cut them out to put on the sides of my nose). The mask is quite big, and it has enough for me to wrap under my chin. My nose was not covered at all (that's why I should've cut out the slits for the eyes!). The mask, however, did make my face slightly itchy and irritable, not unbearable, just uncomfortable. It was a very moisturising mask though.

Rating: 6/10

REVIEW: DEARY EDELWEISS HYALURONIC ACID MOISTURISING INVISIBLE ELASTIC MASK

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 18: Deary Edelweiss Hyaluronic Acid Moisturising Invisible Elastic Mask (Taiwan)

This mask was soaked completely in essence when I took it out of its packaging. The fitting was okay except for the nose again, as well as the hole for the eyes which was a bit small and it kept poking into the corner of my eye (that's probably what caused my eye infection). There's hardly a scent in the mask, so leaving it on for 20 minutes was easy. After removing the mask, my face felt very moisturised and soft, and it didn't leave any sticky feeling. The other complaint would be that the texture of the mask feels a bit cheap, but it's definitely better than the paper mask I got from Etude House last time.

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: SEATREE SEATREE ART ALOE 100 MASK SHEET

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 17: Seatree Seatree Art Aloe 100 Mask Sheet (Korea)

The shape of this mask made me laugh - do I look like a panda? The holes for the eyes were really big, and only a little bit of the mask covered my nose (my nose isn't a big one either). I do usually like my masks to do something for my eyes too, especially if I don't have an eye mask on at the time, but the holes for the eyes on this mask were way too big to do that! The mask was also big enough to wrap under my chin too! Despite the funny shape, this mask was completely soaked in essence, adhered very well, and was very soothing & moisturising to my face! My skin usually becomes very dry and irritated after a day of makeup (that's why I seldom use it), but it was very relaxing with this mask on, and my face felt soft and supple again! Left a slight sticky feeling on my face afterwards though.

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: ETUDE HOUSE HAND BOUQUET RICH BUTTER FOOT MASK

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 16: Etude House Hand Bouquet Rich Butter Foot Mask (Korea)

This mask was a little annoying, since there are actually two steps to it: firstly putting the mask on, then secondly putting the plastic sleeve on. I didn't realise there were two steps to mask, so I (stupidly) left the packaging on the table while I took the masks over to the bed to take photos, then to realise that the foot masks were really moist, so I had to slide myself across the bed to get the other half of the packaging. The size of the foot mask, I would say, is rather small - I wear a size 38 and it was just right, but any bigger feet would find it too small. The mask smells of shea butter, which is really nice. After putting on the plastic sleeve and taping it, I could finally walk, but the tape was on too tight. It was quite hard to massage (like how it said on the instructions) because of how small the mask and sleeve was. I removed the mask after 30 minutes, and my feet still had a lot of essence. I massaged the essence in, and my feet felt really soft and smooth!

Rating: 7/10

REVIEW: SEATREE EGF HYDOGEL MASK

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 15: Seatree EGF Hydrogel Mask (Korea)

The size and shape of the mask was surprisingly okay with just a small part of my nose not covered, but I thought the hole for the eyes was slightly too big, as I usually like my masks to do something for under my eyes too. Faint scent. Quite moist for a hydrogel mask. Adhered pretty well and didn't slip down my face. A relaxing mask for 20 minutes. Left my face a little sticky afterwards, but it was okay after it had all absorbed. Didn't really notice anything significant, but that's probably because I don't have wrinkles to begin with. My face felt smooth, soft, and pores smaller.

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: ETUDE HOUSE COLLAGEN MOISTFULL MASK SHEET

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 12: Etude House Collagen Moistfull Mask Sheet

When I took the mask out of its packaging, I originally thought that it was going to be a rough and harsh mask, but luckily that was just the plastic...but the mask wasn't really much better - the mask is not made of cotton, but in fact, it felt like a piece of paper (did I receive a fake?), and obviously paper doesn't stick well to the face, and the shape of the mask didn't help at all. Someone also commented on my Instagram photo saying the same thing about the mask feeling like paper, so it's not just me. The mask was dripping wet when I took it out, but surprisingly, after 20 minutes, the nose part was dry already although the rest of my face was still very moist. The essence absorbed very quickly into the skin, and my skin felt soft, smooth, and pores tightened. No sticky feeling.

I have tried using the 3D Princess masks from Etude House, and they were a nice and silky cotton sheet mask, but of course, those masks were more expensive, so perhaps it's because they're from a different series? I talked to the lady I bought the masks from, and she said that the brand, Etude House, is actually aimed at teenagers and the early 20s, and they have less expectations, so hence the poorer quality. Not sure if that's the case, but oh wells, moving on...

Rating: 7/10

REVIEW: BEAUTYMATE WHITE TEA NOURISHING & SMOOTHING MASK

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 11: Beauty Mate White Tea Nourishing & Smoothing Mask (Taiwan)

This mask had a lot of essence soaked inside, and was dripping wet when I took it out of its packaging. The holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth were tiny, but the mask was quite big and was able to wrap under my chin. The sides of my nose was not covered again. There's a smell that's not really that nice (kind of medicinal), but it was bearable. After removing the mask, there was a lot of essence left on my face, but it was quick to absorb. My face felt super smooth and super soft, and my pores appeared to be smaller - I couldn't help but keep touching my face afterwards!

Rating: 9/10

REVIEW: MEDIHEAL MOGONGTOX SODA BUBBLE SHEET

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 10: MediHeal Mogongtox Soda Bubble Sheet

This mask is so cool!!! Normally, we just have bubbling wash-off masks, but this one is a bubbling sheet mask!!! I forgot to take a photo of what it looks like straight out of the packaging - like a normal sheet mask actually, it starts fizzing a little after 2 seconds, and as soon as I put it on my face, it started bubbling instantly! The shape of the mask is a little unusual because it doesn't cover the forehead, and the sides of my nose weren't covered properly either, but that didn't really matter! The mask started to burst bubbles after I had the mask on for 3 minutes, and it continued to bubble until I took it off. You're supposed to leave the mask on for only 10 minutes, but since it was still bubbling so much, I wasn't sure whether to take it off or not, so I ended up having it on for 15 minutes, which is not recommended because my face appeared to be slightly red after removing the mask. The bubbling feeling actually feels tingly, but it's not irritating. After removing the mask, I added some water to my fingertips, and massaged the remaining foam on my face, in which, it felt like a creamy foaming cleanser. After washing it all off with water, my face felt really smooth, and my pores appeared to be slightly smaller.

Rating: 9/10

REVIEW: KRACIE MOISTURISING FACIAL MASK EXTRA MOIST

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 9: Kracie Moisturising Facial Mask Extra Moist

This mask came in a thick cotton mask with a unique pattern and texture, no scent, and soaked in a lot of essence. The mask was quite big for my face, and it even covered under my chin area, and I had to overlap some parts to make it fit better on my face. My nose was not covered at all again. It's a 5-10 minute mask, so it's perfect if you just want a quick fix. After removing the mask, my face seemed to be slightly red, and there was some essence left for me to massage in. My face felt soft and moisturised, and I didn't need to apply any heavy moisturiser afterwards; however, the next morning, I realised my nose to be quite dry and flaky (not sure whether it was the makeup or the mask - I usually have super dry skin after using makeup, but it's rare to see it dry and flaky even having used a mask the previous night).

Rating: 7/10

REVIEW: SECRET KEY GUNG SOLUTION DOCTOR'S AQUAFILL MASK PACK

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 8: Secret Key Gung Solution Doctor's Aquafill Mask Pack (Korea)

This is a cotton blend face sheet mask with slits for the eyes. As I don't like my eyes to be covered, I cut out the slits for the eyes, and put them on the sides of my nose, which then, made a perfect fit on my face. There was a faint scent to the mask, but it wasn't overwhelming.  The mask was soaked in essence, but it wasn't dripping wet or anything ~ just enough to last 20 minutes. After having the mask on for 5 minutes, my face started to sting a little, but it wasn't unbearable. After removing the mask after 20 minutes, there was still some essence left on my face, but it absorbed pretty quickly into my face. My face felt pretty hydrated (I usually have really dry skin after a day of makeup, so this mask helped!)

Rating: 7.5/10

REVIEW: GUERISSON HORSE OIL HYDROGEL GOLD MASK

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 7: Guerisson Horse Oil Hydrogel Gold Mask

Guerisson, one of the higher end Korean skincare brands, has come out with a highly raved 24K gold mask. I personally don't really like hydrogel masks due to their slippery slimy texture, but I have heard so many great things about them! This one, surprisingly, is rather small in size, and didn't even cover my whole face - the sides of my face weren't covered nor did it extend to my hairline! Since this is a two-part mask, my nose was covered better than most other masks, but still, it wasn't perfect. It's a 30-40 minute mask, so it's great to relax with, but can be too time-consuming if you're tight on time. It's a thin type of mask, gold in colour, doesn't rip easily, and it also has a faint relaxing scent. After removing the mask, my face felt moisturised, and my pores appeared to be slightly smaller, but it did leave parts of my face slightly sticky.

 For the price, I would've expected more.

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: SECRET KEY STARTING TREATMENT ESSENTIAL MASK

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 6: Secret Key  Starting Treatment Essential Mask (Korea)

There was a lot of essence on the mask as well as inside the packaging, and there's not much of a scent. The shape of the mask was quite big (tried my best to overlap the sides to fit my face as well as possible, but there were so many air bubbles), and the piece for the nose was rather long but not wide enough to cover the sides of my nose ~ terrible shape!! The best part of this mask is how hydrating it left my face ~ my face didn't feel dry and I didn't need to apply my moisturiser instantly after!! There was still some essence left on my face afterwards, but it didn't take long for it to absorb.

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: CNP LABORATORY BLACKHEAD CLEAR MASK & PORE TIGHTENING MASK SET

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 5: CNP Laboratory Blackhead Clear Mask & Pore Tightening Mask Set (Korea)

This has overtaken the Skinmiso Pore Beauty Pack's status, and is now holding the title as my Holy Grail item for keeping pores clean! This is actually very similar to the Skinmiso, but the smell isn't as strong. There are two steps of the mask, of which the first is to clear the blackheads, and the second mask is to tighten the pores. You're supposed to leave the 1st mask on your face for 10-15 minutes, but I kept it on for 20 minutes. After removing the 1st mask, I was disappointed to see nothing on my nose, but after I used a pore extractor to gently press against my nose, I instantly saw all the whiteheads floating out to the surface of my nose! I then, used the pore extractor to glide gently on my nose, and all the whiteheads all squirted out!!! They were so easy to get rid of (no more picking and pressing hard on your nose)!!! There were some whiteheads that I couldn't get off with my extractor, so I used one of the black charcoal buds that they'd given, slid it gently on my nose in a downwards motion, and the whiteheads stuck onto the bud, and voila, no more gunk in my nose! The 2nd mask helps tighten up the pores, and yes, it did a good job!!! I'm totally loving this mask!!!

Rating: 10/10

REVIEW: SAM TIN DR. MORITA HYALURONIC ACID ESSENCE MASK

MaskGenie Challenge Mask 4: Sam Tin Dr. Morita Hyaluronic Acid Essence Mask (Taiwan)

The mask was quite big for my face, so it'd probably even be big enough to use on hubby. It has an ever so slight scent, and it was dripping wet when I took it out of the packaging. The mask didn't cover my nose again, and the sides kept sticking up. This is a 10-15 minute mask and it's not recommended to exceed 15 minutes, so make sure you set an alarm or sit by the clock. After 20 minutes, I removed the mask, and I realised that there was still a lot of essence left on my face, but I massaged it in, and it absorbed pretty quickly, leaving no sticky feeling on my face. My face felt hydrated afterwards, though I still prefer the Sam Tin Dr. Morita Firming Essence Facial Mask more.

Rating: 7.5/10

MEMEBOX SPECIAL #71 WISH UPON A MASK UNBOXING

I've been so slow at updating my blog recently - been active on Instagram, but my blog has been pretty dead lately! I received this box quite a while ago, did an unboxing video, but forgot to post it here (again)...

Memebox Special #71 Wish Upon A Mask

Update: I used two of the masks inside this box for my MaskGenie Challenge, and here's what I think of them.

To The Nature Black Colored Rice Hydrogel Eye Patch

I was slightly confused when I took them out of its packaging ~ usually hydrogel masks are transparent and have a jelly texture, and you have to peel them off the plastic ~ I was figuring out how to peel the mask from the cotton sheet, and then I gave up and used the mask as it was, placing the gel side on my face (since the cotton side wasn't really sticking well). The shape was a little weird for me, and it felt a little uncomfortable under my eyes (no irritations, just to do with the shape). I removed the patches after 20 minutes, but didn't really notice any spectacular results.

Rating: 5/10


Banila Co. Claypatra Mineral Salt Clay Pack

This actually smells quite nice for a clay mask, but it's also thicker than other clay masks, so it wasn't as easy to spread onto the face. I only received a sample size so I had already used half of the portion inside! I waited 15 minutes for the mask to dry, then I washed it off with warm water. It was slightly hard to wash off, because it left a slippery feeling on my face, so I didn't know whether my face was clean or not. After washing off the mask, I realised that some of my blackheads were already visible on my nose, but unfortunately I wasn't able to remove them with a blackhead extractor just yet. My face didnt feel dry afterwards either. Would consider repurchasing.

Rating: 8/10

For more information on Memebox, please visit their website:
http://us.memebox.com/user/geniesfavproducts


Thank you, and have a nice day!!!

REVIEW: MY SCHEMING BIRD'S NEST COLLAGEN HYDRATING MASK

MaskGenie Challenge Day 3: My Scheming Bird's Nest Collagen Hydrating Mask (Taiwan)

There was a lot of essence in the mask and it was dripping wet when I took it out of its packaging. This is a 20-30 minute mask which gives you plenty of time to relax, but also not so great if you don't have much time to spare before you head to sleep. There's not much of a scent, so that's good if you have sensitive skin or an itchy nose. The fit is great except for the nose area (it doesn't cover the sides of nose again). After removing the mask after 30 minutes, there was still a lot of essence left on my face, and it took me a while to massage it all in. It did, however, leave a slight sticky feeling on some parts of my face. My face felt tightened and hydrated (I ended up using less products in the rest of my skincare regime that night too).

Rating: 8/10

REVIEW: BEAUTY MATE 3D MULTIPLE REFINING & REVITALISING SNAIL MASK (LEVEL UP)

This is the second mask that I'm trying for the MaskGenie Challenge!

MaskGenie Challenge Day 2: Beauty Mate 3D Multiple Refining & Revitalising Snail Mask Level Up (Taiwan)

There was sufficient amount of essence - it wasn't dripping wet, but it was enough to last 10-15 minutes. The good thing about this mask is that it is fragrance free, so it's particularly good if you have sensitive skin! The coverage is okay - the area below my nose and above my mouth was too long, so I had to push it up to avoid it touching my lips, and again, the sides of my nose were not covered. I was slightly disappointed to see that the mask was not a 3D one as claimed in its name. After removing the mask, there was still a lot of essence left on my face, and as I was massaging it into my face, I felt that the essence was very water-like (not sticky or thick at all), and it absorbed quickly into my skin too (like how water would). There was no sticky feeling left on my face afterwards, and surprisingly, I realised that the milia on my chin weren't bumpy anymore (this was very surprising, because they seemed impossible to get rid of)! Despite the wonders of the mask, my face felt slightly dry afterwards and desperately needed to apply moisturiser.

Overall Rating: 8/10